The first length of our 3600 kilometre journey takes us to Broken Hill, the car is packed to the rafters complete with coffee machine and wine should we need it (we will). Matthew comes over for dinner his brought over some local Hamburgers from LocaVore delicious but we stay up to late. Next morning I am awakened by Amanda, we’ve slept in, we need to move if we want to stick to our schedule, quick showers banish the sleep from our eyes. Breakfast sees a pile of lists on the counter, last minute things to pack, what to turn off, what to lock up, what to throw out of the refrigerator. We’ve programmed the house lights to go off and on at set times, but they are going on and off at random times, technology sucks when you are in a hurry. We look at each other! the time is ticking, the final car packing is done, the kettle has boiled and the thermos is filled, let’ go we agree. As insurance against never eating again we head to the Lobethal bakery for a ham cheese and lettuce roll and a blueberry muffin or two, this will be a picnic lunch at Burra, That done we buckle up and head for the hills. Amanda’s job is navigator for the trip, no google maps for her just a good old road atlas that covers Australia and her lap. Broken Hill is an old mining town and the original home of Australia’s largest company BHP, 535 Kilometres north east of Adelaide situated just over the South Australian border in New South Wales. Last year the border would have stopped us cold, armed Police would have waved us back as sure as any wall, the two states as seperate as North and South Korea. But this year Covid is over, it isn’t but if we just imagine it is, it will be, according to the politicians. No more health advice the economy comes first. We have had our full suite of travel injections four Covid and one Flu, we will have our Covid pack of masks and rapid antigen tests onboard making us all set to go. Still with the borders open we now have choices on how we wish to travel by boat or plane or car. Trouble is the cruise ships are having to pay the isolation cost for passengers that are struck down with the Covid that doesn’t exist, as they are stuck in Ports around the nations coast. Catching a plane is a possible option but be warned be early (several hours early, maybe sleep the night before at the airport) as staff shortages are biting hard due to Covid infections or just close contacts isolating. The original work force went out and found alternate work during the forced interstate flight lockdowns and has never come back to full strength. Flight delays, cancellations and lost luggage are now de rigueur. That leaves the humble motor car, the only draw back the added cost of fuel 20-30% more expensive than at the beginning of 2022, thanks mostly we are told to Mr. Putins ambitions in Ukraine. Nothing at all to do with Australia’s lack of oil refining ability. Bring on electric vehicles I say but still too expensive here, thanks again to Mr. Morrisons inaction on climate change. Still driving has its advantages, we can meander along at our own pace stopping at the myriad of small outback towns along the way, some if you blink you will miss them. This trip we are expecting to experience a green outback, the drought in most places is over and for some there are now rivers and lakes where there once stood plains (albeit flood plains). Back to the car, there are no restrictions on the amount of luggage you can take except the size of your vehicle, no one is going to weigh your carryon bag either or check it for explosive devices. The onboard entertainment, compliments of our now outdated Apple iPod Touch is all of our own choosing, the coffee will be freshly brewed and country bakeries can serve up better fare than Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin any day. We will see and experience much more at ground level than at 30000 feet. Sorry, if you are finding this enticing enough to book, we have only two seats (due to luggage constraints not Covid restrictions) and they are sold out. Oh, and when we do reach our destination we don’t have to hire a car. Our world (in Australia) has changed it is no longer the place it used to be, the people are the same, although there are no longer enough of them around to drive a truck, provide service on an aeroplane or come out to fix an appliance. The cities and towns are still there although some are burnt down or under water. The borders are open, hotels are welcoming the tourist back, but you may find a bed but not a meal, if you do then don’t expect any red meat or lettuce, those basics are just too expensive. Most of the population is driving around Australia towing a caravan and staying at trailer parks, who are doing a roaring business, the so called Grey Nomads, mostly baby boomers like us definitely don’t want to work as to do so would negatively impact their pensions. This then is the environment that we set out on our travels northwards to Capricornia where the sun is always shining and our pallid flesh can absorb a good dose of vitamin D.
Amanda sitting on the luggage to keep it in!Packed to the Rafters
We have chosen to drive through the Adelaide Hills rather than descend to the plains with the associated heavy traffic, we drive north through Lenswood where pruning is completed and orchards spread out over hillsides for miles, covered with netting to prevent the birds and spring hail destroying the coming fruit. The sun is shining fluffy flat bottomed clouds are scudding along in the blue sky above us, the hills are blanketed in green the countryside is looking superb. Our drive takes us through Cudlee Creek and Kersbrook, before descending back to the plains where we skirt Gawler on our way to Burra. The green pastures with their burgeoning crops continue north to Burra where we stop for our Lobethal bakery lunch.
Only 12k’s til lunch
The wind has picked up considerably, leaving us to picnic in the car, the hostess unwraps our roll while the steward cuts the blueberry muffin in two to share. The steward pours the tea and brings fresh water, the service is impeccable.
We can’t stop for long we arrived at midday and Broken Hill beckons. We head further north through Hallett & Terowie the landscape has changed considerably the verdant green tending to bluish grey. Rolling hills to scrubby plains. This is the land of the big sky that stretches above you like a blue dome from horizon to horizon dotted with fluffy cumulus that drift on the air magically all around. The wind is intensifying as we drive further north buffeting the car, dust devils spring from the ground perform a wurli wurli dance then just as quickly disappear. We know we are in the outback now with towns with names like Oodla Wirra, Yunta & Nackara. At Oodla Wirra we turn due east, the buffeting wind is now behind us the noise level drops noticeably. We cruise on, traffic is light, we expected more road trains and grey nomads than we see., a pleasant surprise. The closer to Broken Hill we are the more desolate the landscape becomes, plains of saltbush stretch for kilometres broken by the occasional salt pan. Their are more feral goats out here than sheep or kangaroos. We pass through Cockburn, the town is a desolate one, crumbling buildings and a pub with no beer. No facilities either and we could both do with a toilet break. This then is the New South Wales Border town, reminiscent of the American wild west. Easy to see why Mad Max liked it out here.
We head on finally reaching Broken Hill for our one night stopover at 5.00pm having travelled 545 kilometres from home since 9.30am this morning. We fill up with fuel, we paid $1.72 per litre in Adelaide in Broken Hill the price is a whopping $2.19 per litre just as well we only used a little over half a tank to travel this far. To be continued…………
It is a sweltering hot day here in South Australia today, the sun is pouring its rays relentlessly through wispy cloud cover bathing our new home in its fiery heat. Here in Stirling, it is Twixtmas, the time twixt Christmas and New Year where all is calm, as though in the eye of a storm. Cars loaded with happy holiday makers depart the city for coastal beaches leaving the local roads unnervingly devoid of traffic. The usually busy villages of Stirling and Aldgate become ghost towns. Just a few minutes away by car our old residence sits in a cool valley overhung with a dense canopy of gum trees. The move to our newly built home, all though not far, has seen us move out of the valley to a slightly higher altitude, to the crest of a hill on a ridge actually, that over looks another valley to our north. At times we do occassionally catch glimpses of the far off hills between the swaying branches of the euclypt forest in that direction. The dense canopy of Sunnyspring has given way to clear skies and a on occasion a little more wind. We can now enjoy the light as the sun rises from the east and sets in the west throwing orange golden hues at twilight through the euclypts in another valley to the south behind us. With a clear sky above us we can enjoy the extra winter warmth from a weak winter sun that over the years dimished with the ever encroaching canopy in Sunnyspring. At night the clear skies allow the stars to glisten in the velvet darkest blue sky above us like so many diamonds. Today though I sit in air-conditioned comfort finally pulling together the photo’s of the build as it has progressed over the last 16 months.
We are now in in our sixth month of residence and have finally completed the landscaping works and maintenance period, now free of the relentless invasion of tradies we can settle down to resuming our former pre building project life.
In July 2017 whilst we were in Hawaii for Son Troy and now daugher in law Heather’s wedding the house on the land we purchased for the build was demolished.
Where once stood a house now a pile of rubble sits while the monster bulldozer looks on as if satisfied with a job well done
The technical, concept drawings and most of the internal selections were made before we departed, all we needed was local government approval and we were good to go.
We arrived back from our extended holiday on the 30th September to find the concrete footings/floor laid.
The bright spring sunshine reflects off of the Concrete Slab foundation looking North from the now Alfresco deck
An old water tank lays forlorn in the southeast corner of the now rear garden. We had thoughts of reusing it but sold it very quickly on our local Gumtree market site.
Quickly followed by framing works.
Excitement is in the air as the first sticks of framing rise up from the foundations (this will be the study with the exercise area behind it)
Like a newly planted forest on steroids, more sticks sprout from the ground on a daily basis
This will be the living area with the guest bedroom behind it, need to use your imagination!
The front facade takes shape, master bedroom and library windows jut out into the shade provided by the oak tree that gave us the inspiration for the house name
This is the rear garden, a steep slope that will need to be terraced in the future
Western Utility Area with the Oak tree in full leaf, this area is level and will contain a wood shed, garden shed and Mandy’s long overdue veggie patch
Its now nearing the end of October the forest of sticks have sprouted a canopy, more excitement in anticipation of the roof going on.
November arrives and the roof is going on! The plan was for a white roof but the local authorities “preferred” a contrasting colour, we really thought it was our house, but the roof colour must fit in with the surroundings they say! The House next door has a white roof? To bad the rules have changed. The roof Woodland Grey it must be.
Off cuts of corrugated iron litter the ground as the roofers cut the roof sheets to shape like so much cardboard. Our visits to the site are allways late afternoon after the trades have left for the day, we catch them still at it but the sun is fast dissapearing behind the oak tree
We have windows as well as pink walls, this will be the guest bathrrom
The pink turns to dove grey as the Gyprock/Dry Wall installation begins, this is some of the ceiling detail in the Entrance hallway
Dove grey seems to spread upward from the concrete floor covering the walls and ceilings leaving behind the short lived pink phase, this will be the Library
On the exterior a silver blanket wraps the house, ready for the cladding, the front timber windows are now installed.
View of Front Windows in the Library
We were concerned about the lack of light in the Alfresco area that would also effect the living area the solution skylights x 2 today we have light
It’s January 2018 and the weatherbaord cladding is now slowly spreading its way over the silver blanket, today on the Western Utility side. Note the window frames, made of precast lightweight areated concrete add an air of substance to what is essentially a lightweight build.
Cladding is now completed, shown here again on the western utility side facing the rear garage door. The outlets in the right hand corner are for the mandatory water collection tank, that to-date we are still to install
Inside the grey walls have developed dots and tram lines looking more like an airport runway! That is if you lay on the floor and look up.
More dots and stripes than the Adelaide Zoo, this view looking towards the kitchen window
The brick layers start work on Alfresco Fireplace Block work
The outdoor kitchen blockwork is growing daily, legoland eat your heart out
Cornice detail snakes its way around the ceiling in the living area, we used this style in most living areas, other areas received the very american square set style (no cornice)
Wet areas are substantillay waterproofed, the once grey concrete floor and walls turn decidely blue. We are gradually working our way through the rainbow colur spectrum here!
Today the louvre detail in the roof facade are installed.
We are now at lockup stage, a temporary door is installed, our access is now restricted to daytime working hour visits when the tradesmen are there.
Meanwhile the stone facing for the Alfresco fireplace is applied and the fireplace installed
Living area fireplace brickwork is completed (to be tiled later) & Joinery /cabinetry work begins- this is the entertaining unit in the living area.
More cabinetry this is the Guest Bathroom Vanity
But wait there is more, Library shelving is installed, the house is starting to develop a personality
It is now March and the floor tiles are delivered, here shown neatly stacked in the Library
Tiling begins with a Laundry wall, cabinets are already installed below
A friendly Cocky drops in for a snack of green walnuts, we catch him perched in a neighbours tree merrily munching away
The Electrician obviously didn’t have any paper handy, no problems just write the plan on the wall (The Writings on the Wall)
Painting has started, the rendered columns, window frames as well as the louvre detail are a vivid white. The front porch is tiled and covered in plastic to minimise the clean up later.
Front Porch is looking good, we are so glad we opted for a wider porch than originally planned.
The Alfresco area is also now tiled and given the same palstic covering, the outdoor kitchen cabinets are in place. The summer was a long dry one, the ground is just dusty earth but this will soon turn to mud when the first autumn rains fall.
It is now late April, progress is rapid, not a day goes by without one of the trades on site. They have a deadline, we are told the 11th of May the keys will be in our hands. The light fitting that we discovered in the twin river towns of Lambertville NJ & New Hope PA that has sat in our workshop for the past few months is now installed, Looks sensational.
It is May the 11th and the big day arrives, the house is 99% complete, but with no landscaping, concrete pathways or drive we are unable to move in. The weather has changed and dust turns to mud
In the meantime, there is plenty to do, Sunnyspring is on the market but no sale yet. The wine room joiney has to be remade to accomodate the wine racks after we discover a miscalculation by the cabinet makers, After a small delay Tony can istall them
While we wait Tony installs the Library Ladder & Rail he has made. We receive news that Sunnyspring has sold, now we start to move in, starting with our books, one stationwagon load at a time.
Kitchen lighting a decorative feature, this time sourced from Pottery Barn San Diego on our visit there with Jimmy, Susan & Gaby (Thanks to Susan for spending the day with us shopping for light fixtures)
Autumn is in full swing our visits to the new house are cold ones, a good opportunity to try out the new wood burning fireplace, our old camp chairs are put to good use as well.
The winter rains have begun, brown dust turns to muddy clay, we roll out a cardboard carpet in an attempt to keep the mud from the porch and entering the now clean interior
It’s June and we are still waiting for concrete pathways to be laid, our curtains, blinds and shutters arrive and begin to be installed. These are the master bedroom curtains the beginnings of our Asian themed bedroom.
Library curtains and plantation shutters are installed adding to that tropical feel
Landscaping has begun, outside the garden infrastructure is taking shape. This is the small woodshed to house our winter fuel. The house is air-conditioning but we love the feel and look of a winters ????
The rear garden slope is now a terraced space, pictured are the timber stairs leading to the lower back garden.
June passes and it is now July, we have a move in date and are assured the concrete will be laid, allowing for Gas, Air-conditioning and importantly hot water to be installed. The landscapers create a space for Tony’s workshop on a terraced area at the rear of the property, pictured here.
This is a view of the deck adjacent to the alfresco area, this will be covered by an opening shade system to give us protection from the winter weather. Although mainly approaching from the west the winter winds can occasionally slip around to the south west.
Another view from the rear garden of the feature stairs and the space for the workshop
Time moves on still no concrete but the framework for the shade system is installed over the alfresco deck.
The first fencing goes in on the eastern side, our neigbours garden on this side is practically a jungle with ivy and blackberry brambles gone feral. We need to keep the noxious plants out and provide some long overdue privacy for our patient neighbours.
A view from outside of the outdoor kitchen, plastic finnaly removed from the tiled floor
Gradually the landscape is changing, pillars for the pedestrian gate are built, these will eventually be faced in quartzite stone to match the alfresco fireplace in the picture below
Move in day arrives, July 18th, the concrete is laid only a week before with the services installed only days before we move in. The removalist are unable to drive their truck onto the driveway as it is not fully cured. our belongings inside and out have to be man handled the length of the driveway. We try out the alfresco fireplace as soon as we move in.
Outdoor Kitchen with our old outdoor lounges in the foreground, clock that used to be in the kitchen at Sunnyspring now takes its place above the fireplace
Our old furniture seems to fit in reasonably well, family room pieces now fit in the living area’s entertainment section
Living & Dining Areas
Library
Looking down the entrance hallway to the Alfresco fireplace
Sunset through the Euclypts from the Alfresco Deck
Entrance Hallway with Master Bedroom Doors on left and Library to the right
Its August and the Asphalt driveway that connects the main drive with Old Mount Barker Road is laid down
By September we have a fountain in the front garden, but not much else. Gradually over the next few months the landscapers, with lots of badgering from us complete their work. Night time picture of address sign with fountain in background
Our House name Hawaain for “Oak House”
Its December, the Saturday before Christmas and the landscapers finally complete all of their tasks. After nine pains taking months we could finally take their picture off the familly wall, after six months we thought they were part of the family, This picture shows the Front Gates dressed for Christmas.
The Final Look with the Oak tree on the right (western side) taken at dusk
Thanks to a passed on skill by sister Sue, Mandy’s now traditional Christmas bows are installed
Pots of Geraniums enjoying their new home
The Front Entrance complete with Christmas bows and wreath on door
Southern End of Library after we finally decide where the couches should be (for now at least)
Library Shelving (and yes most books are well read)
Library overview
Library, Entrance Hall, with doors to Master Bedroom (center)
Northern End of Library
Entrance Hallway looking back down towards the front door
Master Bedroom
Master suite with entrance to Ensuite and Walk in robe.
A glimpse of the Ensuite
Dressing Room (we now have equality in wardrobe space (Something the long suffering Mandy yearned for in our new home)
Walk in robe
Wine Room off Entrance Hallway
Wine Room (stocked up, catalogued and ready to drink) Visitors welcome!
This hallway leads to the garage entrance way, to left is a mini mud room in the form of cupboards to house winter jackets, shoes, scarfs etc. for us and visitors
Garage (a cosy place for the cars)
Japanese Kitchen Cabinet Alcove complete with Father Christmas’s
Entertainment area with Kitchen & Alfresco in the background decorated for Christmas
Entertainment unit
Dining area
Kitchen (dressed for Christmas)
Dining Area looking towards Kitchen
The Walk In Pantry leads off the Kitchen and can be closed off if needed to hide the food storage and appliance areas. Picture shows Pantry entrance with Fridges and platter storage (yes we have food for visitors)
Mandy’s Cookbook Library and desk (to the bottom left of picture)
Appliance station
Food storage area
Room for Display
A forest elf spits water, the view from Pantry window at Mandy’s desk
Family Portrait Wall in the West Wing Hallway Leading to Guest Bedroom
Guest Bedroom
Guest Bathroom
The Laundry Mistresses Domain
West Wing Hallway Leading to Study (Our California Print purchased on one of our trips to Mandy’s parents house)
Tony’s Study (The Beatle Den) looking out to Alfresco
The old bookcase from Sunnyspring fits into the study pefectly. A house is a house but with all our furnishings from Sunnyspring Oke Hale is now Home.
Exercise Room
Exercise Room
Alfresco Area Center
Alfresco Area Right (West)
Alfresco Left (East)
Christmas Lunch Table
Outdoor Kitchen Looking out to Deck
Alfresco Deck with Christmas lights
The Lower back garden now planted out with bamboo along the back fence, our garden statues and lighting also came over from Sunnyspring
Looking back to where Tony’s workshop now stands at the western end of the lower rear garden.
The Bluestone rock wall now planted out and adorned with terracotta pots of geraniums, perfect for our mediterranean climate
Western Side Utility Area with Wood Shed, Garden shed & Amanda’s veggie Garden
Western Side of House looking down towards workshop at the end
Eastern Side of House
We started this blog in a heat wave, after a brief respite the heat is back with a vengeance again today at 40c/110f to see us complete it. Together Mandy & I have experienced a whorlwind 16 months, a fast house build due to the builders effecient processes. A three month period of continuously ensuring that Sunnyspring was at her very best ready for open inspections and prospective buyer visits. A two week sorely needed holiday in Palm Cove (far north Quuensland), just after our delayed move to Oka Hale and a long drawn out period of landscaping and finishing touches by the builder.
All in all the experience was much like a rollercoaster lots of ups and downs with some pretty big highs but not to many lows. In the end we acheived our aim to downsize our living and outside space whilst reducing ongoing maintenance with the future in mind.
It is now January 2019 99% of the hardwork is behind us and we can enjoy watching Oka Hale settle into her surroundings while the garden grows arounds us and life goes back to a somewhat normal pace.
Happy New Year to all the our readers.
Hope to see you one day at Oka Hale, a little touch of Hawaii in the Hills of Adelaide.
Friday 29th and Saturday 30th of September
More than just a little moisture in the air this morning, the skies are letting go big time with a torrential downpour that looks as if it is settling in for the day. By the time we have had breakfast though a look out the window tells us splashes of blue have pushed back the thick clouds. We take our time, we have nowhere to go but home, we have arranged a late checkout at 2.00pm. Packing done we adjourn to the courtyard lounge for a light lunch of Singapore pizza and a glass of wine, I am not even tempted to try the coffee. One look at the coffee menu makes me suspicious there are sixteen varieties on the menu ranging from a single shot Espresso or Macchiato at $6.00 a cup, to a Drip Pot Blue or Affogato for $14.00 a cup. I some how have the feeling I am not going to recognise any of them as actual coffee.
Our driver turns up precisely at 4.00pm our bags are loaded and we are on our way to the airport, first leg on the journey towards home. Changi airport now has 4 terminals with another opening soon, that’s an amazing amount of air traffic for one small island with a population of 5.5million. We arrive early as we had planned making progress through the checkin procedure very easy, then through an automated immigration that we made not so easy. I placed my passport under the scanner and stepped to my right to enter the gate that opened in front of me, problem was I should have stepped left, I am stuck inside the gate that now requires a thumb print to open, of course it doesn’t want to open. Meanwhile Amanda is berating me for going through the wrong gate. The female officer controlling the gates is having her own troubles as someone has just made the same mistake as me and she is busy trying extricate him from his gate. She leaves him to help me, I can’t go back and I can’t go forward. Eventually she calls some one to free me and I back out to try again, all works fine, but now Amanda’s gate doesn’t want to recognise her since I entered it. Eventually she makes her way through but it’s hilarious, a stern officer tells me to move on as I stand bent over in laughter waiting for her to emerge. For these things to work they need to be idiot proof, I think I proved that.
A little bit of duty free shopping and we make for the Qantas lounge to wait out our last hours in Singapore. Once in lounge we might as well be back in Australia, the Aussie accents hit our ears like sweet music.
Our flight leaves on time, no delays, our pilot advises a short downhill run only six hours and fifteen minutes, we have heard this story before on this trip, lots of circling at the incoming unprepared airport, less time to sleep. We do manage a little sleep during the flight and before we know it we are awake for breakfast and are landing in Melbourne. One advantage to landing early is a relatively quiet airport, passport control is electronic, but we decide to declare our Hungarian spices, just incase there are sniffer dogs around, not sure what effect paprika would have on the sensitive snout of a nosey hound. Plant based the paprika and saffron maybe but the customs official doesn’t blink an eye and sends us on our way quickly while the nothing to declare line is backed up. We now have to bag drop our cases, we are told we can do this just around the corner, yes it is just around the corn but one level up. Since we have loaded our cases on a trolley, we now have to unload them, to navigate an upward sloping moving walkway that doesn’t except trolleys this puts us back to pushing our bags (in our case four of them) up the moving walkway independently. Alternatively there are lifts hidden in a corridor several kilometres away. Next at the bag drop station another challenge we have to negotiate electronic bag weighing devices that scan your bags and send them off to be loaded onto our adelaide flight due to board at 8.00am. The bags pre tagged in Singapore all the way through to Adelaide, the tags have to be in just the right position for the scanners to read the baggage tag barcodes or failure! We have three successes and one failure, warning! warning! Will Robinson call the attendant. The nearby attendant can hear me muttering under my breath about FRED’s (F*king Ridiculous Electronic Devices) and quickly comes to our rescue, said bag has to be perfectly positioned like so! Magically the tag is read and we can head to the lounge for a now desperately needed tea and coffee.
The time is now 6.00am Saturday morning the 30th September, we have a two hour wait before we board our last flight and we are on our way once again to complete the clockwise circumnavigation of the globe. Landing ahead of time to a sunny but cool Adelaide. As we exit we see Adelaide Crows fans waiting in the departure lounges dressed in the team colours of blue, red and yellow for their flight to Melbourne to support their team, our team. Down the escalator in baggage collection our ride is waiting, a regular Adelaide hills driver, Terry makes a few cracks about the expanded luggage but it’s great to be back and within thirty five minutes we are walking through the home door. The sun is shining on our little part of the world, let’s hope the sun shines on the Crows in Melbourne today. Once home we drop our bags, start the car and drive down to Stirling to pickup a few essentials for our grand final lunch. On the way back home we stop off at the new house site, excited news has come through that the footings for the new house where laid yesterday. We arrive and yes there they are the floor plan to the new house neatly laid out in grey concrete, with pipes and cables sticking up in the appropriate places. We walk around taking it all in, feeling elated we drive back to the house to prepare for the game.
Unfortunately success for the Crows was not to be they were overwhelmed by a team that wanted to play footy their way, unable to counter that, the outcome was predictable. However the Adelaide Crows did win the home and away season and then in the final series won every game except the one that counted most. The dream over we say farewell to the 2017 season and come on, to the 2018th.
Well what a trip, we have flown halfway across the wide Pacific Ocean to those glorious sunny Hawaiian islands, where we attended luaus and snorkelled in warm blue waters. Then to complete the Pacific Ocean crossing to warm San Diego, not just the weather that was warm more the hospitality, then across the great land mass of North America to Philadelphia and the heat of a Pennsylvania summer for more incredible hospitality. Next we across the Atlantic to London, England, to an Indian summer, there exploring all things English, then into the fading warmth and cooling autumn we moved eastwards across the English Channel to Amsterdam in the Netherlands to join a River cruise were we wind our way by river boat through Germany and Austria and finally Hungary. From there flying north to Helsinki and again south east across Europe to Asia to the heat and humidity of Singapore. Eventually flying south to springtime Melbourne Australia and then back west again to Adelaide. The precious time with family in Hawaii, catching up with the Davis-Callaghan clan, the fun and laughter that filled the airwaves wherever we went. The marriage of son Troy to now daughter in law Heather, at the most beautifully stunning and incredible venue the island of Maui could provide, an amazing unforgettable highlight. A week with the host and hostess of California in San Diego, the most amazing food wine and company. Followed by three weeks in Holland Pennsylvania catching up with all the grand kids, being part of Troy and Heathers life for just a moment in time, precious indeed. Meeting so many wonderful people that make up Heathers family, and all their friends, at a luau they some how pulled off under trying circumstances. A week in England, catching up with my cousin Janet and husband Graham, revisiting my childhood, and showing Amanda my home town, spending time soaking it all up letting the memories flood back incredible. Then the most amazing journey on a floating palace through four countries along four rivers from fairy tale story villages to ancient cities. Tales of riches, of wars and devastation, Kings, Queens, princes and princesses, hope and joy. Then finally to an ever changing Singapore of high humidity, incredible architecture and home of high finance all in 90 amazing days. I hope you have enjoyed coming along for the ride with us (let me know if you did) as much as I have enjoyed living it and writing about it. The next journey for us involves building a new home, this will be just as exciting as we watch the house take shape, no doubt at times there will be highs and lows with times that maybe equally as perilous as flying and cruising on the high seas but ultimately rewarding like travel itself. Maybe I should blog it.
Thursday 28th September
The weather is a constant here guaranteed warmth day after day (30c/90f) with a sprinkling of moisture, today is no exception. We are gradually making our way back to normal health, feeling much better we decide to walk to Raffles today.
After breakfast we are off first to Merlion Park to see for ourselves the Singapore icon that spills water from its mouth into Marina Bay. The Fullerton Hotel sits almost on the river in a central location that makes walking to attractions fairly easy. Merlion Park is right on the river on the other side of the Esplanade bridge that we can pass under arriving in just a few minutes. The Merlion was conceived as a city logo, the name Singapore, meaning Lion City, then commissioned as a statue and erected at the head of the Singapore river in 1972. When the city built the Esplanade bridge in 1997 the statue could no longer be seen from Marina Bay and so it was moved to the present location. Completely white, sculpted in glass reinforced cement by an Australian, James Martin the statue sits gleaming in the sunshine spouting foaming white water into the bay, while throngs of tourist’s look on or are engaged in photo taking.
We move on looking for a place to eat tonight but none of the restaurants appeal, maybe we are too fussy. We decide to take a forty minute river cruise on one of the little red and green wooden electric boats that ply the Singapore river here. There are several stops along the way, but surprisingly they are not hop on hop off, but just allows for a circuit of Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, and Marina Bay from and back to your embarkation point. When we reach the Fullerton dock pickup point to buy tickets, the young disinterested attendant tells us there is a thirty minute wait and closes the ticket windows, not taking any more questions. We decide to leave the ride to later. A quick comfort stop back at the hotel and we move on to Raffles Hotel, finding our way using Apple maps and Amanda maps, my sense of direction being famously inadequate. We pass through a park with a memorial to the civilian victims of the Japanese occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945. Completed in 1967 the four identical pillars, each 70 metres (230 ft) high, represent the shared experiences and unity of the four major races of Singapore – Chinese, Eurasian, Indian and Malay. The remains of the mostly Chinese killed by the Japanese that were uncovered much later in 1962 are interred beneath the monument.
Monument to the Civilian Lives Lost During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
Passing by the monument we soon reach the Raffles quarter that surrounds this iconic hotel, then into the hotel its self. I always love coming here although over the years the changes made seem to have substantially detracted from the original feel of the place. I still remember the first time in 1987, enjoying a gin sling in the original long bar, the history seemed to seep out of the pores of the building then, close my eyes and I could feel the stories of my father who served here as part of the liberation force in 1945. Now although much remains a lot has changed, still refurbishing work continues and large sections of the hotel are closed. We wander the colonnades and courtyards, moon cake festival is approaching, there are small stands selling these sweet Asian treats, eventually stopping at the gift shop.
Our tour over we head back to the hotel via the National Gallery and Parliament House, this the older city area of Singapore containing more of the finer colonial buildings like the old Parliament House, now an art centre. Looking down over this part of the city the clock tower from the Victorian theatre and concert hall sits since 1862, ticking away the minutes. We walk back, around the old Parliament House building towards the river, here stands a statue of Sir Stamford Raffles who’s foresight created Singapore. Sir Stamford once Governor of British Java was influential in wresting the then East Indies island of Java from the Dutch and French during the Napoleonic wars subsequently having a major impact on south east Asia.
Sir Stamford Raffles
Starting to feel a little hot and sticky we decide to make our way back to the hotel for a cool break and then try for that illusive river cruise. Back down on the river dock, the disinterested young attendant is watching a video on her phone, but there is another older gentleman with her, we open the glass shutters and she looks up giving us that “not you again look” the older gentleman steps in, again the wait is around twenty minutes maybe ten or fifteen but could be thirty. He suggests “we don’t go to far boat could be around anytime”, determined we buy our tickets and find a seat in the Fullerton hotels unoccupied outside smoking area just around the corner. After about ten minutes we decide to check on our boat, it is coming we are told, true, boats are coming and going all the time, but none deign to stop at our dock. A boat approaches, we are told to descend to the dock, just below the “River Boys” sculpture, but no, this boat is just disembarking passengers, not picking them up, at this time of the day the boats are mostly empty with just a few sightseeing passengers. We wait and wait as empty boats drift by as if on a carousel they can’t get off, eventually at the thirty minute mark my patience is wearing thin, “your boat come soon sir” I am told in stilted English so still we wait. “Why so many boats in the river and none stop” I ask the attendant, he shrugs his shoulders, it’s the system he explains. Finally our boat has an identity first 228 then no, 229 at least we can identify it as it approaches. Finally after nearly 40 minutes and countless boats drifting by, the boat with our number on it arrives and we board for our 40 minute tour. We sit outside on the rear deck of richly varnished timber and enjoy the breeze kicked up by the boats movement along the river. We float through Boat Quay, Clarke Quay under the bridges. As we pass through this area my thoughts are echoed by the on board commentary, stories again from my father about the sampans and junks that crowded the bay and quays, coolies in wide brimmed rattan conical hats, off loading goods from ships anchored out in the straights. Back in the present we stop to drop off passengers at the Clark Quay terminal, then alone on the boat we cruise the Marina Bay waters, there are two crew, while one is captaining the other offers to take our pictures against the skyline backdrop as it changes with our movement. A nice touch that helps us forget the long crazy queue-less wait.
Back at our dock we make the short walk back to the hotel, we have decided on dinner and drinks in the Courtyard bar then a walk in the warm night air to Merlion Park to watch the laser music and light show that is best viewed and heard from that vantage point at 8.00pm.
A little muggy today, taking breaks in the hotels air conditioning is refreshing, once the sun goes down the temperature reduces just enough to make outside the place to be. After our light meal and last drinks at the hotel we wander off again to Merlion Park, as we do so business types in shirts and ties no doubt heading off to a late meeting or to a parking station somewhere whizz by on electric scooters. This is a phenomenon here, a number of different folding electric conveyances are available to hire or buy, from small Segway type vehicles to scooters and one wheeled electric bikes. Since walking is only slightly less faster than driving here these devices make a lot of sense, but we can see a problem as the numbers increase since they are using public walkways and travel at considerable speed.
Down at Merlion Park there are plenty of people here to enjoy the show close up.
The lights from the surrounding buildings are considerable, but when they start to flicker and change colour all around the bay the sight is amazing. The music is not so impressive as the sound has to travel across the bay, any prevailing breezes picking up the notes and either distorting them or scattering them periodically across the bay. Still one gets the idea, a classical piece with a slow start, speeding up mid piece and eventually reaching a crescendo of light and sound at the finish. Lasting about ten minutes and shown twice a night, definitely a smokeless spectacle that replaces fireworks, probably cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
Merlion at Night
Once the show is over we walk back under the bridge back to the hotel contemplating our last night of an epic (for us) journey that has taken us across four continents over the last ninety days. We are excited to be going home.
Wednesday 27th September
Another warm Singaporean morning greets us, the sky is grey with heavy cloud the occasional glimpses of blue poking through the palpable humidity, twenty percent chance of rain our weather forecast tells us. Feeling a little better today we are up for breakfast in reasonable time. The hotel breakfast is spread over a vast amount of counters surrounding the entrance and down into the eating area, in the restaurant that was the scene of last nights buffet. The buffet now magically converted to display fruits, yoghurts, cereals, Malaysian & Indian breakfast foods, pastries and cheeses, last nights Peking duck carvery, is this mornings egg station, where a chef is busily whipping up an omelette. We stick to our usual juices and cereals only occasionally do we go all out for the eggs, usually Benedict.
We have decided to make for the zoo today, situated in the western sector of the island, about a fifteen minute ride, the zoo is well known for the open enclosure approach and the rarity of some of its exhibits. Last time we visited we didn’t drive out to this side of the island making today’s drive interesting, now modern freeways cut through a thoroughly tropical garden island. We pass through residential, industrial and military areas all neatly laid out, surrounded by tropical greenery that reminds us of the amount of rain the island receives. As if to make a point that people live in a jungle here, we pass under a wide animal bridge that was built and planted out with jungle plants just for wild animals to cross from one side of the freeway to the other. Although the bridge is clearly identifiable to us, adorned as it is with all manor of jungle animal reliefs, it still requires an explanation by our driver, some how believing the animals understand it’s purpose, escapes us completely. Once old apartment buildings with bamboo canes sticking out of every window supporting the occupants washing would be everywhere, but now with new more modern apartment blocks only rarely do I see a Singaporean “flagpole”
On we drive reaching the zoo in good time, any memories we had of our visit here in 1987 go straight out the window, the zoo has undergone substantial change since then. Our driver tells us Steve Erwin was involved in some of the design concepts, revered here as the “The Crocodile Hunter” as he was around the world. We spend the next four hours wandering around the exhibit. The enclosures are made to look as natural as possible, mostly barriers are invisible, you feel so close to the animals you can almost touch them. Above us orang-utans swing about playfully on rope ways that crisscross the park. The zoo’s animal enclosures are set in tropical jungle like gardens surrounded by the water from a reservoir spread over 220 acres, with a lot to see. A feature of this zoo is the rare animals that live here in the zoo’s care, the magnificent white Tiger, not an albino but rare breed of Tiger A genetic split of from the Bengal Tiger.
Pasha the White Tiger
White Rhino also endangered, ponder about in their muddy paddock, we both agree a weird looking animal like nothing else on earth. Amanda patiently waits at each exhibit, while I try to take that perfect shot.
Come on, Give us a Kiss
Mercat
What ever you do in life “Hang On”
I can see you, can you see me!
Hey! Wanna hang out!
Trunk out time
The rain is always threatening a few drops here and there, we buy poncho’s at a gift shop just in case. There are covered walkways that run through the park in some areas but you can suddenly find yourself exposed. Fortunately the rain stays in the sky for the duration of our visit. We stop at the cafe for a sandwich that is pretty ordinary, dry and tasteless, the staff are changing tables for a night time safari that must be popular and include a picnic on leopard skin table clothes. We are way passed lunchtime, so no surprises that our food is passed it’s use by date.
After covering a good deal of the zoo today it’s time to take a cab home. What is a SD$24.00 ride to the zoo with tips, is a SD$38.00 ride back to the hotel, we did see more of the city via a ring route but really! No wonder Uber can establish its business model here when the local taxis are so unreliable and arguably dishonest.
Fullerton Hotel by Night
Fullerton Hotel by Day
Back at the hotel we decide to walk to Clarke quay tonight for dinner, this picturesque little area with little cruise boats that ply the river and Marina bay comes to life at night. As we walk out of the hotel the lighting from the surrounding buildings is spectacular, the lights bathe the water in shimmering colour. Once again the night is perfect for strolling outdoors and eating, I feel like seafood Amanda’s doesn’t, we need to find a compromise and finally pick a Thai restaurant that offers meats as well.
We are not often in Singapore but the first year Clarke Quay opened we were there enjoying amazing food and wine. Three years ago there again, food had definetely moved to tourist fast, quality average. Tonight for us it hit rock bottom at Rennthai, we doubt if the chef had ever had a Thai meal let alone visited Thailand. The Tiger beer was good that was were it ended. I decided on the BBQ platter beautifully presented the dish held promise, the appetiser of spring rolls where hot and freshly fried adding to my expectation. The platter when it arrived contained three satay’s of an unknown meat type, cold dry and rubbery, they had laid so long in the marinade that the meat was cured. The squid on the dish was also cold, so tough it bounced, only two small tentacles where edible. Next fish cakes, just pieces of white fish, that didn’t flake off the fork but needed to be cut with a knife, at least they were hot, mussels followed baked in a the shell with a spicy pork mince, quite tasty, and the best taste on the platter, lastly two prawns in their shells that must have sat in a tray to airdry for weeks, before being BBQ’d to hell, so dry every bit if moisture sucked from them.
Amanda was more fortunate her grilled chicken dish was edible, but she ordered plain rice not sticky rice and guess what turned up, sticky.
The service was less than good, a waiter that didn’t want to be there and had no idea about restaurant table service. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t asked how my meal was, if asked I would have told them but they had no interest in customers what so ever. For such a spectacular environment, very disappointing, especially since the prices here are high this no street food venue. No doubt the rents are high and the pressure must be on to produce high profit food, but lack of quality is no way to achieve it. They will definitely receive a bad review from this customer.
Spectacular lighting around Boat Quay
We wander back through the still warm night to our hotel, another day closer to home.
Tuesday 26th September
A brief blog today, we sleep in until 3.30pm trying to right our selves for a few days in and around Singapore. When we do wake it is to the heavy sounds of cracking thunder and lightening flashes, an electric storm is powering over the city. Our view from our hotel window completely obliterated by the rain storm as it passes across the bay. Eventually feeling a little better we descend for a very late lunch in the hotels restaurant, the staff are busy preparing for a huge buffet style banquet tonight, trays of ice are filled with prawns, mussels and oysters while Peking duck is hanging ready to be sliced to order amongst other meats by the servers later this evening when the buffet begins. We opt for a simple Caesar salad fortified we then take a walk to a nearby Coldstone ice cream store we discovered, compliments of Mr Google. Any sign of the passing heavy rain shower are now gone, these events are a feature of Singapore weather, brief and sometimes heavy but always warm.
View from our Hotel Room to Marina Bay Sands
The ice creamy is about twenty minutes walk, away from the river, through the canyons of concrete and glass office buildings, here and there a relic of old Singapore still stands reminding me of a once more colourful atmosphere on this occasion it’s the entrance to an original Chinese temple.
Entrance to an Old Chinese Temple in the Heart of Downtown
When we reach Pekin St. I am pleased to see the old brightly painted colonial shuttered buildings dating back to the 1800’s along the street converted to bars and restaurants. We spot our ice cream store and step up to look at the flavours, first time we have seen a seriously rich looking dark chocolate, after a taste I go with that and coffee, while Amanda just goes with the dark chocolate. Not served in a cone, just a tub, we sit and eat at the street tables, then head back the way we came to the riverside.
A Beautiful Sculpture “River Boys” harks back to Old Singapore
Back in our room the sun is fading, the lights of the city start to come on, the city puts on a spectacular light and music show at 8.00pm we watch on, as laser lights and coloured lighting coordinated with the pulsing music start to flicker in time. Fountains of water join in as sightseeing boats cruise the bay their passengers taking in the magnificently colourful show. A photo opportunity not to miss. Then it’s lights out for another day let’s hope we can muster the energy for a full day out tomorrow.
Evening View from our Hotel Room The Light Show Begins
The flight from Helsinki is a long one, we sleep as much as we can, I have the feeling that we are in a child’s toy aeroplane, the giant child whizzing us around in the air then occasionally dropping us into the bath water where we bob up and down through the night until once again the giant hand picks us up and we fly smoothly through the air again.
After a meagre breakfast we land, the planes nose cameras show our approach into Singapore across the straits and into Changi airport. We collect our luggage proceed through customs where a small male Singaporean is checking to ensure our incoming travel cards are completed correctly. What is unusual is that he is singing, yes singing Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Nat King Cole songs while doing it. He stops at us, giving us a note perfect rendition of Strangers in the Night, not the whole song mind you just a snippet. It certainly takes your mind of the wait in the queue. With a smile on our faces we pass through the check point and meet up with another little Singaporean, this time our driver. Once outside we can feel the warmth of the afternoon air, very pleasant, lifting our spirits as we are both feeling like crap. We are soon on our way to the Fullerton Hotel our bed for four nights before returning home. The Fullerton built in 1928 has had a chequered career, originally the post office was the main tenant, but the building also housed an exclusive gentleman club, and acted as a lighthouse. Only developed into a hotel in 2000. Allan and Denise, our friends from Stirling are in town and we have arranged to meet them for dinner. Our mobile phones are still working with our English numbers so we are able to keep in touch with them as we approach the city. The hotel is situated right on the river by Boat quay that leads to Clarke quay a little further along. From our room we can see back across the water in the opposite direction towards Marina Bay sands hotel, Merlion Park, and the Singapore eye that Amanda bravely rode three years ago.
We shower and dress for dinner still not feeling that good and make our way to meet Allan and Denise at the hotel’s courtyard bar in the lobby below. It’s always good to see a friendly face far from home, although we are closer now than for the last three months. We have a drink in the bar and catch up with events at home and our mutual travels before walking down to Boat quay for dinner, the night is perfect, tropical, the river awash with the reflected colours of the buildings and Cavenagh bridge that crosses the quay just outside the hotel. The lights just shimmer on the water as we walk along adding to the magic of this town. Along the street runs the restaurants with inside seating situated on our left on the side of the road while their outdoor seating areas run along the riverside as far as you can see, leaving a centre pathway to walk through. This restaurant row stretches right along the river here from Boat quay to Clarke quay, some four hundred restaurants. The mixed aromas in the air add to the atmosphere, we decide on Italian, taking a seat by the water. We settle in to enjoy some pasta and conversation, before heading back to the hotel where Allan and Denise take a cab to their hotel. They are leaving for home tomorrow after spending a week here. Tomorrow we will have an easy day catching up on sleep and trying to shake the bug that as I write this is persisting.
Sunday 24th September
Our last day in Budapest, we have a late checkout at midday, the cool weather is continuing although the rain has made way for scattered clouds. The northern hemisphere autumn is here to stay, people warmly wrapped hurry by our window at breakfast. The day maybe Sunday, but tourism never stops, new groups arrive into the hotel from who knows where to take in the sights of Budapest. Out of a nearby window a tour guide, her lolly pop stick waving in the air stops to herd her group closer, like a mother hen gathering her chicks. Every street, every building has a story, be it myth, legend or fact, enough we are sure to for every tour guide to put a twist to every story. We leave with mixed feelings, this city has along way to go to recover from the recent past. For us time to move on to our next destination, Singapore. Since our flight doesn’t leave until 7.00pm we have plenty of time to complete our packing, checkout and relax in the beautiful lounge bar. The hotel building known as Gresham Palace was built in the 1905 in the art nouveau style, lots of marble, high glass domed ceilings, intricate wrought ironwork and Leadlight windows. Named after Thomas Gresham, a London based financier who started an insurance company in the seventeenth century, the building served as the company’s European headquarters for sometime. Like most of the buildings in Budapest the war brought heavy damage, particularly since the building is very close to the Chain bridge blown up by the nazis in 1945. Now restored to former glory the building is owned by the sultanate of Oman and leased to the Four Seasons hotel group.
The bar offers us all we need to see us through the next few hours, light lunches and good coffee. At about 2.30pm the waiting staff start setting up for high tea, the white tablecloths come out and the finest china is set out, a few takers arrive to partake. One couple near us are served hot pots of tea and then a circular three tiered cake stand filled with an assortment of treats, they are forewarned not to eat them until the waiter completes a thorough description of the tray. I could only catch a few words, like chocolate, cream, fudge, jam and cake to be convinced that this was a tray for the serious dessert lover. The crowd is a mixture of young well heeled locals, svelte Nordic looking women dressed in finery, suited up Russian looking dudes with closed cropped hair and t shirts, rather than collar and tie, then older American tourist’s off the riverboats.
Afternoon tea, Anyone! Gresham Palace, Four Seasons Lobby, BudapestIntricate Iron Lace Work, Gresham Palace lounge bar, Budapest
A shop just off the lounge sells nothing but furs, fur coats and jackets of every colour combination. They look expensive and maybe they are real, but there doesn’t seem to be any takers today.
3.30pm comes around quickly, we booked the hotel car to take us to the airport, we wanted to ensure no hiccups and ensure our luggage would fit in ahead of time. Once out of Budapest city the traffic is light, the airport just a thirty minute ride out into the countryside. We arrive before our flight checkin counter is open, even though Finnair invited us by email to electronically checkin this seems to make no difference, as there is no open bag drop. The airport is a small one, the airlines taking turns at the checkin gates. An hour wait with one coffee shop and limited seating, still we find a spot to while away the time. Finally the gate opens we checkin, pass through security, where I beep and are given the once over by security, meanwhile passengers with all manor of carry on luggage including umbrellas make their way through. Another hour in the lounge and finally we are on our way, on time for our first leg to Helsinki.
We arrive on time in Helsinki, flight is a smooth one, first time here we are surprised how big the airport appears to be, also very clean and tidy. We are here late arriving at 10.20pm understandably the airport is quiet. Only criticism is that we arrive at gate 16 and leave from gate 55, a “Transfer Service” is on offer according to the signs, we wonder what that might be. Following the signs we find the transfer desk, a lone woman sits behind it pondering, I am not sure what, eventually she notices me, I ask how we should proceed to the gate, she points at the corner “around there sir follow the signs” and keep walking I add, “yes” she says with a rye smile and so that is the transfer service. Still there are plenty of duty free shops to browse if one has the time, on this occasion though we do not. There are no moving walkways but they do provide a small hand luggage cart, handy for us. Also a small stroller I am sure I could fit in if only I could convince Amanda to push me!. Eventually and in plenty of time we pass through a customs check and our passports receive the Helsinki seal of “approval”. Then a few more gates pass us by and we reach our departure gate, very little seating is available, but the gate appears to have two lounges one of which is empty and barred to passengers, weird. After standing for about fifteen minutes we are called through to the barred lounge, boarding passes and passports checked we are allowed through, this time we briefly sit and we can board. Airports! all different, only a few able to make efficient use of their space and time.
Our flight tonight is aboard an A350/900 Airbus, beautifully fitted out I feel somewhat like I am in 2001 a Space Odyssey, the interior of the plane all white curved plastic panels, with hidden lighting and eight foot centre ceiling height. Sleekly equipped cubicles await to fold us in their arms, reminiscent of a 1970’s vision of the future. We watch the onboard visual display as the front nose camera shows the lights of the runway flash by effortlessly and we are airborne. Next stop Singapore.
Saturday 23rd September
Another sunny morning greets us this morning, we had expected rain and cold again today. After breakfast we decide to take another shorter stroll around, first to top up our cold medications and then to St. Stephens Basilica a major church in Budapest, out of the many to be found here. By the time we leave dark threatening clouds have moved in crowding out the sun. The nearby pharmacy is closed, but a there are plenty of shops around inviting us to continue our search. We walk through to the Joseph Nador Plaza we visited yesterday in our suitcase hunt, there are plenty of people out and about, coffee shops and restaurants with outside tables are starting to attract customers. We venture across the plaza into a flashy shopping street, nicknamed “Fashion Street” the street is filled with fashion outlets as one might expect given the name also souvenir shops and restaurants with outdoor seating. Actually the street is a cobbled stoned mall that’s easy to stroll down, look up and you see the magnificent facades of the buildings above here mostly renovated. Still no sign of a pharmacy we walk through to a main road that links up to the painted white Elizabeth bridge another that crosses the Danube to the Buda side.
One of the many grand buildings that line the boulevards of Budapest Looking towards the Elizabeth Bridge
We turn away from that direction and spot a pharmacy, very different than at home, we enter and queue to talk to an assistant who when our turn comes helps us select items we would just normally pull off the shelf at home. A light rain has started to fall, just a shower we hope, we put up our hoods as we didn’t bring out the umbrellas today and continue on through the back streets on our way to St Stephens. On our way we catch a glimpse of a Ferris wheel apparently a new city acquisition erected in Erzsebet/Elizabeth square just this year and standing 65 meters high, not at all tempted to ride it we continue on eventually emerging into Szent Istvan/St. Stephens Square.
Budapest Eye
This Roman Catholic church built in a neo classical style was completed in 1905 after taking fifty four years to build. It was named after Stephen the 1st a King of Hungary from 975-1038, who was canonised in 1083 for his efforts in promoting Christianity throughout the region.
St. Stephens Basilca
The wind has whipped up and the showers although light are persistent, we head back towards the hotel just now a block away. Buildings of past grandeur sit un-renovated, alongside beautifully restored ones. At its peak this was a grand city, now the slow job of renovation continues, the task a massive one with just the sheer quantity of buildings damaged during the war.
Another of the many buildings yet to be renovated Grand facades are everywhere
At street level on our stroll we pass crumbling facades some still blackened from fire damage some with the evidence of bullet holes and shrapnel still clearly visible, then there are facades undergoing renovation with exquisite detail being painstakingly reproduced.
Blackened building still awaiting cleaning I know nothing, Sgt Shultz? Shells or shrapnel marksBullet Holes
We quicken our pace as the weather is deteriorating, outside not the best place for us to be while trying to ward off our colds. We are soon back in the warmth and comfort of our hotel suite. Packing for our departure our main goal for the day, we will eat in, fortify ourselves for our departure tomorrow, a two hour flight to Helsinki then an eleven hour one to Singapore.
Friday 22nd September
What a difference a day makes, the sun is shining this morning the rain completely gone and the wind has died. Although the sky is not entirely clear of cloud, splashes of blue are evident everywhere. Today we can stroll along the Danube to take in more of the sites close up. After breakfast we head into the shopping district to pickup a small case, just a little one mind you, the necessity to buy some warmer clothes on this end of the trip has left our current bags bulging and overweight. That done we walk down along the Danube towards the Parliament building, the breeze along the river is cool, large puddles of water from yesterday’s downpour evident everywhere. Along the river wall there is a simple moving monument, to the Jewish people and others that lost their lives, when Hungarian fascist militia aligned with Hitler opened fire on them. The spot is crowded with tour guides and tour groups, we can sit on the stone bench awhile and wait for the scene to clear. The idea for the monument came from a film director Can Togay and was sculpted in bronze by sculptor Gyula Pauer. The story goes that the victims were told to take off their shoes and then where shot so that their bodies fell into the river. When the scene clears we can see the shoes fixed to the river wall in all sorts of disarray, poignant and disturbing.
The Holocaust Shoes, Budapest
We move on down the river towards the Parliament building once again, then moving up to the grounds we wander around this massive building. While we are there a changing of the guard takes place, with some musical fanfare but only a few soldiers, after the display the captain of the guard announces that they will stay a few minutes to allow photos to be taken with them. We move on around to the rear of the Parliament building, away from the river leaving the breezy conditions behind. Parliament Building, Budapest Changing of the Guard, Parliament Building, Budapest
We are heading towards the famous and controversial Liberty square, where a focal monument commemorates the so called liberation of Hungary by the soviets in 1945. Germany had only just moved into Hungary in a bloodless takeover in 1944 when the then prime minister no doubt seeing the writing on the wall began negotiations with the allies. Hitler apparently tipped off about this moved in, but Hungary had allied itself with the Axis countries since 1940. Where they really occupied or complicit? this it seems to be the question still today. Then the soviets advanced pushing the Nazi’s back, liberating/occupying Hungary virtually until 1989. The first monument we encounter is that of a gentleman crossings a bridge, this is a representation of Imre Nagy who in 1956 lead a revolt against the Russian “Occupation” and was executed by them for his troubles. The monument symbolises his quest for Hungary’s freedom. Also in the square is a statue of Ronald Reagan who was credited by the Hungarians as influential in encouraging Mikhail Gorbachev to bring down the Berlin Wall and to liberate the eastern block countries in 1989. The last monument is a much more recent one, erected in 2014 and more than a little controversial in that it shows an eagle, representing the Third Reich about to pounce on the archangel Gabriel, representing Hungary. This seems to indicate that Hungary was indeed invaded and forcefully occupied when it was arguably not! The controversy rages with many notices of protestation evident at the site still today.
Imre Nagy, Freedom Bridge Soviet Liberation Monument, Liberty Square, Budapest Ronald Reagan Freedom Monument, Liberty Square, Budapest
From here we make our way through the back streets parallel to the Danube back to the hotel. Our next hike takes us across the Chain bridge, so named because of the giant chains that run through the stone supports anchoring the bridge deep underground. Built in 1849 the first bridge to span the Danube, from a design by an English engineer, it was one of the longest in the world with a centre span of 220meters/663ft. Significantly it was blown up by the Nazis in 1945 as they retreated from the oncoming Soviet and Romanian forces.
The Chain Bridge, Budapest
The sun is shining on us as we make our way across and the breeze has died down making the crossing a pleasant one. Once on the Buda side we make for the funicular railway that takes sightseers to the Buda Castle and site of the Royal Palace. There is a queue, but not to long and we have tickets to take the little railway up the hill. Yesterday we did this by taxi and ended up at the the history museum today we can walk around the palace grounds and the site of the original castle in dry conditions and sunshine, threatening dark clouds are not far away though making for a dramatic sky. The FUNicular Railway, Buda side, Budapest Parliament House, from the Buda side. Me at the Buda Castle, Royal Palace Buda Castle, Royal Palace from the Pest side How the Chain Bridge & Royal Palace looked in 1946, after the end of WW2
After having a good look around the building and taking in the magnificent views up and down and across the river we head back the way we came via the funicular and back across the other side of the Chain bridge to the hotel. Time for afternoon tea of coffee and Hungarian cake.
We take a well earned break after our extensive walking tour this morning tonight we will tryout the hotel’s restaurant for dinner.
The Kollahz seems to be going 24/7 breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and cocktails. The dinner menu is extensive with just about all you could want. Importantly we want to try local dishes, they have one side of the menu dedicated to just that. Still not back yo our best we decide to share two main courses the first a plate of sardines, these are not the kind found in a can but freshly caught and deep fried served on a bed of fine potato purée with cherry tomatoes, their tails crunch as they go down. Amanda, a little squeamish removes the tails first. Onto the next dish a beef cheek Guylas (Goulash), tender beef cheeks in an amazing beef reduction, with tomatoes, baby carrot and skin on potatoes. We wash this down with a glass of the local Hungarian merlot, perfect.
We finish with scoop of chocolate ice cream, a standard wherever we are in the world. Our waitresses tempts me to try a local after dinner drink, Plum Palinka.
A strong refined plum brandy, guaranteed to give me a good night sleep she suggests. It is very strong, and I leave a little in the glass but I feel more awake now as we head back to the room. The time and days are becoming blurred, I check to see when the Crows are playing their semi final, they have played already, although late I decide to watch the game. Amanda stays with me for the first quarter then descends into the land of nod. The Crows win, blitzing Geelong, we are in the grand final, to take place the day we arrive home on the 30th September. What a home coming.
